Do You Still Need Nitro to Play Discord Activities?
No, and you haven't since 2023
Staff Writer · · 2 min read
The short answer is no, you don't, because Discord Activities have been free for everyone since June 16, 2023.
That's worth stating plainly, since a lot of articles and a lot of people still say otherwise. When Activities first launched, most of the lineup was gated behind Nitro or behind a server's boost level, and only a couple of them were open to everyone. That changed a while ago, but the old advice outlived the paywall by about three years.
So if someone told you that you need Nitro to play Chess in the Park or Poker Night with your friends, they're working from 2022 information.
How to start one
In a voice channel, look for the rocket icon in the toolbar at the bottom of the channel, or in the controls that appear once you've joined the call. That opens the Activities shelf. Pick something, and everyone else in the call gets an invite to join.
Activities also work in group DMs, so you don't need a server at all to play with a handful of friends. Mobile is supported too, though some Activities are more comfortable on desktop than others.
One thing to keep in mind is that the lineup rotates, so rather than trusting any list, including this one, it's better to open the shelf and look. Discord adds and removes titles periodically.
What Nitro actually gets you now
Nitro is still a paid subscription, it just isn't the thing standing between you and Activities anymore. As of writing it covers larger uploads, higher quality screen share and streaming, custom emoji use across servers, a custom profile, server boosts, and a bundled Xbox Game Pass Starter Edition that includes a set of PC games.
That last one is newer, and it tends to get missed in most "is Nitro worth it" discussions.
Orbs, which are not Nitro
Discord launched Orbs globally on July 14, 2025. Orbs are a free currency you earn by opting into Quests, and you spend them in the Discord Shop on cosmetics or Nitro credit. You cannot buy Orbs with money, and Nitro subscribers get an allowance of them each month.
This is mostly worth knowing so that you don't confuse "I have Orbs" with "I have Nitro", because they're two separate things.
When Activities aren't enough
Activities are good and they cost nothing, but the lineup is fixed and everyone has to be in the same voice call at the same time. If you want games that run in a text channel, that people can drop into whenever they're free, or that keep score across sessions, that's the gap Discord bots fill.
Gamebot runs Chess, Poker, Connect 4, Anagrams, and Cards Against Humanity directly in your server, with no Nitro and no voice call required.